Introduction to
Aeronautical Engineering
Lecture 7 Fundamentals of Helicopter
Fundamentals of Helicopter
Outlines
Helicopter and Fixed-Wing Aircrafts
Principles of Rotary Flight
Rotor’s Configuration
Flying the Helicopter
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Helicopter and Fixed-Wing Aircrafts
Helicopters are the most
versatile flying machines in
existence today.
Directions of motion
The amazing flexibility of of an airplane
helicopters means that they can
fly almost anywhere (mountains,
Foresests,Ships,…)
A helicopter can do three things
that an airplane cannot
1. A helicopter can fly backwards. Directions of motion
2. The entire aircraft can rotate in the air. of a Helicopter
3. A helicopter can hover motionless in the air (No Forward Speed).
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Helicopter Capabilities
Hover and Rotate Fly backwards
(rotates 360 degrees while it travels down a
Pirouette straight line relative to the ground) stop in mid-air
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Principles of Rotary Flight
The Main Rotor
Thrust
• The lifting force is produced
by the rotors. As they spin
they cut into the air and
produce lift. Each blade weight
produces an equal share of
the lifting force.
• The produced lift allows the
helicopter to rise vertically or
hover
Thrust
Rotor
Direction of
• Tilting the spinning rotor will Forward Speed
cause flight in the direction of Drag
the tilt Weight 5
Principles of Rotary Flight
• If you spin a rotor using an engine, the
rotor will rotate, but the engine and the
helicopter will try to rotate in the
opposite direction ( TORQUE
REACTION)
• Several methods are developed to
counter the reaction torque to hold the
helicopter straight
• One of the classical solution is using a
small rotor at the end of a long boom
(Tail-Rotor Configuration) to push the
fuselage in the opposite direction of the
torque force.
Tail-Rotor Configuration
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Rotor 's Configuration
Tandem
• Because of the opposite rotation of the rotors,
the torque of each single rotor will be
neutralized.
• It is able to lift heavy loads whose position
relative to the helicopter’s center of gravity is
less critical than the single rotor configuration
• Used with big helicopters.
• The construction of the control system is much
more complicated, compared to a helicopter
with a tail rotor.
Tiltrotor A/C (Side by Side)
• Allow a wide variation of CG position
• This design was used for the biggest helicopter
built but it was never very successful.
• Extra drag is created caused by the supporting
pylons
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Rotor 's Configuration
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Rotor 's Configuration
Coaxial Rotor
• This configuration is compact which
explains why it is often seen on board
ships
• The control along the vertical axe
occurs as a result of different lifts of
the two rotor discs.
• Depending on which rotor produces
more lift, the helicopter will turn to the
left or right.
• For these helicopters it is not possible
to reach a high cruising speed,
because the drag is too large.
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Rotor 's Configuration
No-Tail-Rotor (NOTAR) Helicopter
Jet thrust is used rather than blades to
• Provide directional stability
• Reduce noise, providing the world’s
quiets helicopter
• Counter the main rotor torque
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Flying the Helicopter
Collective Control Stick
• The collective control is the lever to the left of
your seat mounted on the cabin floor. Moving
the collective up or down is what creates pitch
change in the rotor blades, causing you to
climb or descend
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Flying the Helicopter
Cyclic Control Stick
• Moving it forward or back will point the
nose of the helicopter up or down. It does
this by varying the angle of the rotor blades
as they go round, tilting the rotor back and
forth.
• When moved left or right the rotor tilts in
that direction and the helicopter banks and
rolls.
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Flying the Helicopter
Rudder
• The tail rotor pedals, on the floor, are
used to control the angle of the tail-rotor.
• For straight flight, the angle of the tail
rotor is set to prevent the helicopter from
turning to the right as the main rotor turns
to the left.
• The pilot pushes the left pedal to
increase the angle of the tail rotor and
turn to the left.
• Pushing the right pedal decreases the
angle of the tail rotor and turns the
helicopter to the right.
The blades of the tail rotor are
only about 2 feet (61 cm) long
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Flying the Helicopter
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References
1. http://travel.howstuffworks.com/helicopter.htm
2. http://www.ae.gatech.edu/~lsankar/AE6070.Spring2004/
3. Helicopter History site, http://www.helis.com/
4. Wyne Johnson, “Helicopter Theory”, Dover Pub., 1994
5. Simon Newman, “The Foundations of Helicopter Flight”,
John Wiley & Sons , 1994
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